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Building Back Bird Diversity: Best Management Practices That Really Work!, Webinar, December 17th

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Graphic: Evan Barrientos/Audubon

Tuesday, December 17, 2024
7 – 8 pm
Register here.

Join Northern Virginia Bird Alliance for Justin Proctor’s presentation on bird-friendly best management practices to apply across rural, suburban, and urban landscapes. His talk will explore strategies, technical assistance, and cost-share programs that can greatly simplify and accelerate your adopting and putting into effect practices that increase habitat and biodiversity on your property. Specific practices to be covered include how to convert lawns into functional grasslands, transitioning to zero emission landscaping equipment, reducing and refining landscape management, dark skies lighting, and many more.

Justin Proctor is a conservation biologist with the Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes program. He is based in Front Royal, VA. He coordinates the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative, working to assist producers and landowners in adopting a suite of best management practices for bird conservation on their landscapes. Justin has spent 15+ years working in the fields of science, education, and conservation, affording him opportunities to conduct ornithological research across the western hemisphere. Justin is excited to be a part of an initiative that takes science and turns it into action that benefits biodiversity, landscape resiliency, farmer livelihoods, and local communities.

Help Northern Virginia Bird Alliance Plant Natives Donated by Earth Sangha, November 20th and 23rd

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Photo: Donated plants, Bill Browning

Earth Sangha is a key partner in the Stretch Our Parks habitat restoration corridor currently active between Upton Hill Regional Park and the Dominion Hills Area Recreation Association. They made a sizable donation of wild plants to the project and Northern Virginia Bird Alliance needs to get these youngsters in the ground! Please come help build deer exclosure cages and plant these gifts. Sign up, and get more details, via the links below.

Lockwood/Elmwood Senior Housing Complex (Wednesday, November 20, Meet at 8:50 AM)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D48AFAC23A6F85-46970234-invasive#/

Dominion Hills Area Recreation Association (Saturday, November 23, Meet at 9:00 AM)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A4BA9A92CA31-powhatan1#/

Watch Now: Video on How to Protect Northern Virginia Birds

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Photo: Purple Martins, Keith Kingdon/Audubon Photography Awards

From the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance

Over 100 million birds migrate through northern Virginia each spring, and 160 million migrate through each fall. Their journeys are perilous because they can be attracted to and disoriented by brightly lit buildings and crash into them or waste precious energy flying around the lights.

Birds that live here risk colliding with glass and other reflective surfaces, and light pollution disrupts their feeding, sleeping and reproduction, as well as that of the plants and insects on which they depend. NVBA has established a partnership with Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, DarkSky Virginia, DarkSky NOVA, Nature Forward, the Friends of Dyke Marsh and the Friends of Little Hunting Creek to initiate a Bird Safe NOVA campaign. Check out the recording of their recent webinar here. 

Birds in Watercolor: Northern Flicker with Ronna Fujisawa, November 14th

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Image: Northern Flicker, courtesy Ronna Fujisawa

Thursday, November 14, 2024
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
This is a virtual art class.

Registration is required.

Members: $25 (Non-members: $35) Northern Virginia Bird Alliance

The Northern Flicker is a woodpecker. Although it can climb up the trunks of trees and hammer on wood like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to find food on the ground. Flickers appear brownish overall with a white rump patch that’s conspicuous in flight and often visible when perched. The undersides of the wing and tail feathers are bright yellow, for eastern birds, or red, in western birds. With a closer look you’ll see the brown plumage is richly patterned with black spots, bars, and crescents.

In this class, students will paint a fun close-up of a Northern Flicker, learning how to mix neutral colors, as well as techniques of layering colors to create various feather patterns. Your instructor, Ronna Fujisawa of Salty Water Art, will be your guide through the step-by-step process of painting.

This is an online class open to all levels of watercolor painters. Beginners are welcome!

The suggested materials for this class:

  • Watercolor suggested colors: Cobalt Blue, Paynes Gray, Naples Yellow, Sap Green, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber or other brown. Optional – Rich Green Gold or green gold, Transparent Pyrrol Orange. Ronna uses Daniel Smith brand tube watercolor paint.

  • 9″ x 12” or larger Arches Cold Press 140-pound watercolor paper

  • #2, #6, #12 round brushes, 1” oval wash brush

  • Graphite transfer paper for tracing (waxed surface)

  • Artist tape and board to tape paper down on all four sides for even borders (not on table)

  • Print-out of the attached photo in color to fit size of your watercolor paper (scroll down for photo, right click to save so you can print it)

  • Pencil to draw or trace, white eraser, water, paper towels

  • Computer or tablet for watching the class

Ronna Fujisawa is an avid bird watercolor artist residing in Portland, Oregon. Salt Water Art is her educational practice consisting of classes on how to paint birds and in watercolor and watercolor plein air workshops. For more information or questions, contact [email protected].

 

Learn How to Protect Northern Virginia’s Birds, Webinar, October 9th

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Photo: Purple Martins, Keith Kingdon/Audubon Photography Awards

Wednesday, October 9, 2024
7:30 – 9 pm
Free webinar.
Register here.

Over 100 million birds migrate through northern Virginia each spring,  and 160 million migrate through each fall. Their journeys are perilous because they can be attracted to and disoriented by brightly lit buildings, crashing into them or wasting precious energy flying around the lights.

Birds that live here risk colliding with glass and other reflective surfaces, and light pollution disrupts their feeding, sleeping and reproduction, as well as that of the plants and insects on which they depend.

Northern Virginia Bird Alliance has established a partnership with Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, DarkSky Virginia, DarkSky NOVA, Nature Forward, the Friends of Dyke Marsh and the Friends of Little Hunting Creek to initiate a Bird Safe NOVA campaign. Join them for a free online program to learn more about the dangers our birds face and what you can do to make their lives less risky.

Fall Butterfly Identification with Larry Meade, September 3rd

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Photo: David Illig, Variegated Fritillary

Tuesday, September 3, 2024
7:00pm – 8:30pm

Webinar

Click here for registration details.

Presented By Northern Virginia Bird Alliance

The sight of butterflies fluttering around on a warm day is one of the most iconic signs of summer, but they can still be found well into the fall months. These beautiful insects usually live for only a few weeks as adults, but they make quite an impression while they are in their full glory. There is a large variety of butterfly species in our area. Larry Meade will walk students through the common species and help them differentiate some of the trickier look-a-like species.

Participants are encouraged to register for the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) Count to be held on Sunday, September 15, 2024.

A good way to prepare this program is to review Butterflies of the Mid-Atlantic, a Field Guide, by Robert Blakney and Judy Gallagher. Judy Gallagher is a member of the ASNV Board, and the field guide is available for purchase on the NVBA website.

Larry Meade is president of the Northern Virginia Bird Club and a member of the NVBA Adult Education Committee. He is a frequent bird walk leader and has been involved in numerous Audubon Christmas Bird Counts and NABA Butterfly Counts. He is the compiler of the Alexandria Circle NABA Butterfly Count.

This program is FREE for members of Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, (formerly Audubon Society of Northern Virginia) and members of the Northern Virginia Bird Club.

 

 

Help Count Butterflies for the NABA Butterfly Count , September 15th

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Photo By David Illig, Variegated Fritillary (NABA Butterfly Count)

Sunday, September 15, 2024
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Alexandria Area

REGISTER : Deadline to register is Thursday, Sept 12 at 9:00 PM

Organized by:  Northern Virginia Bird Alliance

The Butterfly Count is an ongoing program of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) to census the butterflies of North America (United States, Canada and partially Mexico) and to publish the results. Volunteer participants are assigned a count area with a 15-mile diameter. The volunteers conduct a one-day census of all butterflies sighted within that circle.

Volunteers are encouraged to attend the butterfly identification webinar on Sept 3 (FREE for NVBA Members; $10 for non-members).

Volunteers of all experience levels are welcome! Every team will be led by an expert. Participants are encouraged to stay with their team for the duration of the event.

This count is organized by Larry Meade.Deadline to register is Thursday, Sept 12 at 9:00 PM so you can be assigned to a team on Friday. Teams will each meet at their designated count locations.

Larry Meade is president of the Northern Virginia Bird Club and a member of the NVBA Adult Education Committee. He is a frequent bird walk leader and has been involved in numerous Audubon Christmas Bird Counts and NABA Butterfly Counts. He is the compiler of the Alexandria Circle NABA Butterfly Count.